Chinatown-Kensington 'zombie' house deteriorating from neglect, neighbours say

Homeowners and history buffs in the Kensington-Chinatown neighbourhood say they're tired of watching one of the area's oldest homes slowly deteriorate.

The 152-year-old structure at 106 Huron St. was among the first houses built on the street but has been vacant and slowly crumbling for years. The two-storey Victorian home now has a patchwork roof, broken brickwork, graffiti, bent railings and holes in the hoarding used to keep trespassers out.

"This is heartbreaking," said Adam Wynne, chair of the Toronto and East York Community Preservation Panel, standing in front of the building.

"This could be a real gem if it was fixed up."

Those concerned about the site say city regulations don't put enough responsibility on property owners to maintain vacant buildings in a liveable state, and want to see higher standards and enforcement. They want either the city or the property owner to step up and restore the house. 

According to city regulations, the owner of a vacant house is only required to ensure that entranceways are boarded up and the utilities are disconnected. Owners of occupied buildings have to satisfy a list of standards that's more than 30 items long and covers everything from how the property is landscaped to the condition of the mailbox.

Owners of a third category of buildings — those designated heritage houses — are also held to a higher standard than unoccupied buildings, according to the city's municipal code. Those properties' heritage features, which include "roofs, walls, floors, retaining walls, foundations and independent interior structures," must be maintained.

Building doesn't have heritage status

Sanctions from the city against property owners who fail to maintain property standards can include orders to repair the property, both inside and out, and fines of up to $1,000, according to the city's website.

But because 106 Huron St. has not yet been designated a heritage building, it's not subject to those more stringent protections, according to Wynne.

"In the city's eyes, it's just another vacant building," he said.

Calls and emails to 106 Huron Ltd., the owners of the property, have not yet been returned. Property records show the company bought the property in 2017 for $950,000. Since then, the building has "rapidly deteriorated and is undergoing a demolition by neglect," according to the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario in its online description of the site.

The conservancy says the property was the subject of a development application by the owner in 2019, but that application appears to have been dropped by May 2022.

Even so, the ACO writes, "this application indicates an interest by the present owner(s) in re-developing the property and that the pre-existing house at 106 Huron Street, Toronto is at increased risk of demolition."

Wynne says he asked the city to have 106 Huron designated a heritage building in 2020, which would have given it greater protection against neglect, but the process appears to have stalled.

A statement from city staff notes the building was nominated for heritage status but says "a nomination for heritage registration is not an application.

"They act as a helpful flag of community interest, provide valuable research, are on file, and will inform the heritage evaluation of their respective properties. The property at 106 Huron Street has not yet been evaluated."

Group eyeing buildings that can be 'brought back to life'

Serena Purdy, chair of the non-profit Friends of Kensington Market, says if vacant buildings were maintained in a liveable state, they could make a dent in the housing shortage.

Purdy says her group is currently surveying the area to identify abandoned properties that are so run down that they're a detriment to the area. That list of "zombie properties" will then be turned over to the Kensington Market Community Land Trust, which works to create affordable housing and commercial space.

"We have been keeping an eye on properties that are dead but that can be brought back to life, for the community to use... for homes for people to live in during a housing crisis," Purdy said.

City spokesperson Shane Gerard told CBC Toronto in an email that owners of vacant properties are not governed solely by the bylaw that regulates unoccupied properties. They're also subject to the vacant property tax which "discourages property owners from leaving their homes vacant...the goal of the program is to help increase the housing supply in Toronto and help make homes more affordable."

But Wynne says from what he sees, the vacant home tax — three per cent of a property's assessed value — isn't convincing enough property owners to get their derelict buildings into shape.

Councillor will seek authority to order demolitions

Coun. Dianne Saxe, who represents the neighbourhood, agreed in an email to CBC Toronto that more needs to be done to address the city's derelict houses.

"I appreciate the Kensington Market community bringing the city's attention to the problems posed by these derelict properties," she wrote. 

"That an unoccupied lot like 106 Huron can be allowed to rot and fester in the middle of downtown greatly impacts neighbouring residents and businesses... I'll work with my council colleagues to ask the province for authority to require demolition of derelict buildings."

Two doors down, Leslie Li owns an investment property and says 106 has been an eyesore for years.

"Safety is my biggest concern," Li said, citing trespassers and pests.

"Redevelop it into a building that's liveable for a family, or a couple of families," he says. "A park would be even better. Make the community more beautiful."